The technique used to create
these bowls is to construct by silver soldering panels of sterling silver, brass,
copper, nickel-silver and bronze. They are not "raised" in the
traditional sense. The stripes and woodgrain patterns are forge welded
using the
mokume gane wood grain metal process.

Married Metal and Mokume-Gane
Bowls and Candlesticks

The figure ground relationships in La Tene Celtic spirals were only rarely crafted in
contrasting metals in ancient times. The only well known example is the silver and copper
panels on the reverse of the Tara Brooch. The objects shown here are all the products of a
modern craftsman who is continuing and adding to Celtic design traditions. The techniques
and combinations of materials presented here are not representative of Celtic
metalsmithing from the past.

The wonderful pallet of colors and texture is available by using the married metals
silver soldered construction technique and the Mokume technique of solderless forge
welding stripes and wood effects.

Each of the examples shown here uses five alloys chosen for their colors. They are
sterling silver, brass, copper, bronze and nickel silver. Nickel silver is an alloy that
contains no actual silver and shows up as a gray in contrast to the white sterling silver.
The rich reds and oranges that you see are the result of a heat patina that is a surface
oxidation on the copper and bronze.